AIBU to ask for ideas? I want to get a career for myself but have no money at all for retraining

I'm in my early 40s; I had my first child at 22 and from leaving school until then I did very basic unskilled office jobs as my parents wouldn't allow me to go to college, sixth form or uni. Since having kids I've mainly been a SAHM and just done jobs to fit in around the kids such as cleaning and working in the local shop in the evenings.

I'm at the stage now where I actually really do want a career, or at least a fulfilling job that I enjoy and - crucially - I currently have no money at all to spend on retraining so it would need to be something where I could learn on the job. Hopefully something that I could work my way up to earning a fairly decent wage from.

As far as I know nursing bursaries have now been scrapped in England. Also the nursing school at our local hospital closed and so for nursing training I'd have to do a 3 hour round trip every day when it was a block of lessons.

I've looked into OU courses but I don't know which one I'd do or what I'd do at the end of it and would feel nervous about getting into debt when it might not lead to me getting a career at the end if that makes sense?

It may be worth considering the nhs. If you've got basic admin experience then you could join as a band 2 or band 3 administrator. They offer lots of trying courses and you get experience over time. You can then apply for a wide range of promotions in a range of fields from finance assistant, working in a hospital helping to manage services, commissioning, data analysis, contracting, public health, project management etc. Look on nhsjobs. Decent pension and a lot of family friendly policies.

Another vote for exploring the OU further. Do not look at a tutition fees loan as being like other debt. You won't have to pay it back until you're earning over a certain amount and, even then, the monthly amount is negligible.

For someone with no formal education since GCSEs, they would strongly encourage you to take an Access course first which will expose you to a few different areas.

Beyond that, the OU is really flexible in terms or choosing your degree pathway (unless you need to pursue a specific course for professional accreditation). The first year modules are very broad so you get a really good grounding in your broader subject area. For example, if you were looking at English (Literature, Language or Creative Writing), History, Classical Studies, Religious Studies, Languages or Music, you would study the same first module, so if you really enjoyed, or were particularly good at, a subject you hadn't expected, you would probably be able to change your degree pathway at that point.

Also, unless you have a very specific future career in mind, often just having a degree opens up new opportunities as employers will recognise the wider skills required to succeed.